Bahrain charges opposition leader with 'insults'

November 03, 2013

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — The head of Bahrain's main opposition group was charged Sunday with insulting authorities through an exhibition that showed alleged abuses against anti-government protesters, a lawyer said, in a move that could sharply raise tensions in the violence-wracked Gulf nation.

The charges against Ali Salman, the head of the Shiite bloc Al Wefaq, came just hours after a court sentenced four suspects to life in prison for alleged ties to Shiite militant factions and acting as spies for Iran. Bahrain accuses Iran of aiding the 32-month uprising by the kingdom's majority Shiites against the ruling Sunni dynasty.

Iran denies the accusations and no firm evidence has been produced. But the claims by Bahrain's Western-backed leading have been echoed by other Gulf Arab nations that fear Iran seeks to destabilize their networks of ruling clans.

More than 65 people have been killed in Bahrain's Arab Spring-inspired protests seeking a greater political voice for Shiites on the strategic island nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Some rights groups place the overall death toll higher.

It's unclear whether Salman will face trial, which could touch off wider clashes. Prosecutors have the option of not bringing the case to court. Al Wefaq's lawyer Abdullah al-Shamlawi said Salman was not jailed after being charged and was allowed to return home following questioning. Across the Gulf, courts have issued prison terms as long as 15 years for perceived insults against rulers on social media or other forums.

Riot police last week raided the museum-style hall opened by Al Wefaq that included depictions of alleged torture and attacks against protesters since the uprising began in February 2011. Authorities said the displays incited "hatred" even though most of the scenes had been reported in international media or in a government-backed report on the unrest in late 2011.

Earlier Sunday, a criminal court issued life sentences against four Shiite activists and 15-year prison terms against six others who were charged with links to Iranian intelligence agencies and plotting attacks in Bahrain, lawyer Zainab Zwayed said. Fourteen defendants were cleared.

Funeral for Bahrain teen descends into clashes

October 23, 2013

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — The funeral for a 17-year-old boy in Bahrain who authorities said died while carrying explosives descended into chaos Wednesday as mourners clashed with police in the troubled Gulf kingdom.

Plumes of tear gas rose over the cemetery where mourners buried Ali al-Sabagh, who authorities said died Tuesday night after an explosion about 10 kilometers (six miles) west of the capital, Manama. Hundreds of anti-government protesters and mourners faced off with police, as an Associated Press reporter saw some set fire to tires in the street and others throw gasoline bombs. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, as officers closed the main highway into the city because of the fighting.

The official Bahrain News Agency said Wednesday that officers found a gun and ammunition near al-Sabagh's body. Authorities said he was wanted in connection with previous attacks. Bahrain, a Sunni-ruled nation, has been locked in nonstop unrest since an uprising by the country's Shiite majority began in early 2011. Bahrain has expanded crackdowns on so-called "terrorist" cells suspected of bombings targeting security forces and others in the strategic kingdom, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

As the protests raged, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa addressed the new session of parliament, saying he appreciated its "stance against terrorism, extremism and their instigators, as well as your refusal of any foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Bahrain."

"Reform, development and achieving a better life for everyone in this country should remain our constant and paramount goal," he said. "Never losing sight of it, no matter the circumstances."

Bahrain sentences 9 to life on bomb charges

October 07, 2013

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain says nine people have been sentenced to life in prison after trial on charges of bomb-making in the restive Gulf nation.

Monday's verdicts mark the latest in a series of recent court decisions that have raised tensions in the strategic kingdom, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Sunni-ruled Bahrain has been locked in unrest since early 2011, when majority Shiites started an uprising for greater political rights.

The official Bahrain News Agency says life sentences and fines were handed down to four suspects in custody and five in absentia. The charges also include attempts to target police with attacks. Violence has risen in Bahrain with recent bombings. Last week, Bahrain set an Oct. 24 trial date for a prominent Shiite political figure, Khalil al-Marzooq, on "terrorism" charges.

Ahwazi Arabs lead the campaign to Save Karoun River

Friday, October 25, 2013

Ahwazi Arabs are stepping up the campaign to Save the Karoun River, calling on the intervention of the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation Catarina de Albuquerque.

Dr Karim Abdian, director of the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO), first raised the issue of the Karoun's diversion  at the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in May-June 2005, warning of the consequences of dams along the Karkhe and Karoun rivers on the indigenous Ahwazi Arab inhabitants.

Last year, he met with UN Special Rapporteur Catarina de Albuquerque and provided details of the impact of the dam program, which caused the forced displacement of thousands of Ahwazi Arabs and destroyed their farms and fisheries.

Ahwazi groups are calling on Special Rapporteur de Albuquerque to support the voice of the many hundreds of Ahwaz residents who are now demonstrating regularly along the river banks.

The destruction of the Karoun has brought together environmentalists, Ahwazi rights activists, scientists and others in opposition to the Iranian regime's pillage of natural resources in the Al-Ahwaz region.

Source: Ahwaz News Agency.
Link: http://www.ahwaziarabs.info/2013/10/ahwazi-arabs-lead-campaign-to-save.html.

Syria's Muslim Brotherhood launches political party

Tuesday, 05 November 2013

Syria's Muslim Brotherhood has revealed that its members have now finished their deliberations about launching a political party to represent the Brotherhood, deciding to do so under the name of "The Promise" and commissioning Dr Mohammed Walid to act as chair.

The Brotherhood will announce the official launch of the party from Istanbul on Tuesday, 12 November rather than on Saturday, which coincides with the first meeting of the National Coalition for the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.

The Brotherhood summarized the Party's principles as follows: respecting the principles of freedom, dignity, and justice; adopting democracy, equality and Islamic reference to achieve the revolution's goals; preserving the unity of the Syrian people and the Syrian territory; adopting just causes, especially the Palestinian issue; maintaining Syria's best interests; and supporting Syria's sovereignty.

The new party will adopt a parliamentary model for achieving justice and development at all levels of society and vowed to ensure the separation of powers as well as the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. The party also pledged to cater to women and focus on youth issues.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/8158-syrias-muslim-brotherhood-launches-political-party.

Activists: Syria releases 48 women detainees

October 24, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — Activists say the Syrian government has released a total of 48 women detainees as part of a three-way prisoner exchange.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday the women were freed over the past two days. It said the figure of 48 included the 13 women whose release was previously reported. There was no immediate comment from Syrian officials.

The Observatory says the release was part of a complicated hostage swap last week brokered by Qatar and the Palestinian Authority that saw Syrian rebels free nine Lebanese Shiite Muslims, while Lebanese gunmen simultaneously released two Turkish pilots.

Lebanese officials have said a third part of the deal called for the Syrian government to free a number of women detainees to meet the rebels' demands.

Mujahideen finally defeated gangs of secular rebels from Northern Storm in Aleppo

20 October 2013

The Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) issued a new statement on the situation in the town of Azaz in the province of Aleppo, where a fierce fighting took place between Mujahideen and secular rebels linked to the "national coalition". UmmaNews presents the translation of the ISIS statement posted on their website:

- Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his companions. And then:

Verily, Allah favored the Mujahideen of the Islamic State and made it easy for them to eliminate the last stronghold of criminals from the so-called "Northern Storm" in Azaz and the surrounding area.

By the grace of Allah, they were driven out, and we have cleaned every place, every checkpoint, every camp, where they were stationed all the times.

Not even the alliances helped them, which they concluded with apostates from the PKK (communist Kurdistan Workers Party), the Alawite regime and Western intelligence agencies, which have encouraged them for war against the Mujahideen.

There is an important fact, which we would like to report here: indeed, the Islamic State did not attack these wrongdoers until they started spreading harm and oppression, to abuse their power against Muslims and their honour, to implement agreements with the US and its allies, namely - to attack the Mujahideen, spy on them and eliminate their leaders.

That is all what is known to the Islamic State, for sure. After they went to war against the ISIS, people saw with their own eyes their true nature, as they captured two Mujahideen in Azaz and delivered them to a dirty spy.

Their alliance with apostates from the PKK and the Assad regime in war against the Islamic State is apparent to all.

They did not even hesitate to blow up the market in Azaz, they shelled its areas with rockets and mortars, after the situation got out of their control.

Allah turned their intrigues against them, and they reaped what they sowed ... Allah helped the Mujahideen in these blessed days of Dhul-Hijjah, after they were left without help by those who encouraged them to earlier acts against the Mujahideen.

Allah divided their ranks, broke their ranges, and it ended with Allah's pleasure with the Muslims. Praise be to Allah.

"Have you not considered those who practice hypocrisy, saying to their brothers who have disbelieved among the People of the Scripture, "If you are expelled, we will surely leave with you, and we will not obey, in regard to you, anyone - ever; and if you are fought, we will surely aid you." But Allah testifies that they are liars. If they are expelled, they will not leave with them, and if they are fought, they will not aid them. And [even] if they should aid them, they will surely turn their backs; then [thereafter] they will not be aided".
(The Holy Koran, Chapter 59. "The Exile", verses 11-12)

And here we want to inform the rest of the warring groups, such as "Liwa al-Tawhid" and others, that the Islamic State clearly demonstrated its policies in these events. It lies in the fact that the Islamic State does not start a war against all comers until they begin to act out against the ISIS, The Islamic State seeks to resolve any conflict, whatever it may be, and opens a way for a direct dialogue, leaving aside dirty media, which does not cease to fan the flames of discord and take every opportunity to distort the image of Mujahideen, so that people would leave them.

And we want to instruct those who listen - be they scholars, or students, or journalists: Fear Allah in your attitude to Mujahideen and to your Muslim community: be the ones who stop fitna and strife, who spread the word of peace and understanding- exactly what Allah wants you to convey to others.

How many times we utter a word without thinking about consequences, how many times we say the words without that they could cause bloodshed among the Muslims?

"O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful".
(The Holy Koran, Chapter 49. "The Chambers", verse 6)

And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.

Allahu Akbar!

Ministry of Information, ISIS

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2013/10/20/18422.shtml.

Assad feeling strengthened following arms deal

2013-10-23

By Karim ABOU MERHI - BEIRUT

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is feeling strengthened as international pressure on his regime appears to ease amid growing Western fears of an Islamist takeover and unwavering Russian support, analysts say.

Only a few weeks ago, the United States was threatening military strikes on Syria, but there has been a major shift since then.

Much of that is due to a US-Russian deal on destroying Syria's chemical weapons, apparently giving Assad the confidence he needed to announce on Monday that he would be willing to stand for re-election when his current term ends next year.

Assad also said he did not feel the situation was yet ripe for the peace talks that the United Nations is trying to organize in Geneva next month with Russian and US support.

"It's no mistake he's feeling more confident than ever," said Shadi Hamid, director of research for the Brookings Doha Center.

"Any previous talk of regime change on the part of the international community has been pushed to the side and now Assad is a partner for the international community," he added.

Hamid was speaking before a meeting in London of Arab and Western governments that support the opposition which issued a joint statement renewing their insistence that the Syrian leader could have no future political role.

But that statement was seen as part of a wider effort to persuade at least some of the opposition to take part in the planned Geneva peace conference.

While much of the West supported the rebels' demand that Assad must go, "you don't hear people talking about regime change any more," Hamid said.

Fearing the growing influence in rebel ranks of hardline Islamist groups, some of them loyal to Al-Qaeda, the United States has opted to push for a political settlement, rather than giving all-out support to the revolt.

At the same time, Assad "continues to enjoy the full support of (key backers) Russia and Iran", Hamid said.

In the West, "I think there's a real concern that the strongest and most dominant factions are people the international community does not want to win", he said.

"Assad feels that that kind of development helps his narrative."

When the uprising against his rule erupted in March 2011, Assad's regime claimed it was a foreign-funded "terror" plot, despite ample evidence of extensive domestic support for change.

But Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups entered as the protest movement escalated into an armed rebellion and have gained ground militarily, particularly in the north and east.

At the same time, the opposition is deeply divided, not only militarily but politically.

Hamid said "the political opposition is totally irrelevant, so the people who are going to Geneva do not represent the fighters on the ground," who are now mostly Islamist.

'This has definitely gone in his favor'

Another factor strengthening Assad's hand has been the deal struck by Moscow and Washington after a sarin gas attack near Damascus on August 21.

The deal led to a UN Security Council resolution that orders the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal and urges peace talks to end the conflict that has already killed more than 115,000 people.

"Things have definitely gone in (Assad's) favor in the past two months, ever since the chemical weapons attack," Hamid said. "You might have expected that that would be his downfall but actually it turned out to be a major boost."

When the deal was first proposed, Assad quickly volunteered to cooperate, and Hamid said there was a "real shift" when US Secretary of State John Kerry commended the Syrian leader's commitment to a swift implementation of the deal.

The arms deal "was a victory for Assad, plain and simple. Ever since then, he's in some sense been rehabilitated," he added.

Hilal Khashan, who heads the political science department at the American University of Beirut, said "the overall balance is still tilted in (the regime's) favor, even though it cannot win... The Syrian regime's backers are faithful to their stance, and they know what they're doing."

Syria expert and former Dutch ambassador to several Arab countries Nikolaos Van Dam said Assad's refusal to deal with any opposition groups with links to the outside "is not new."

But "whether it is realistic for President Assad to want to exclude the main Syrian opposition groups with substantial military forces inside considerable parts of Syria is another thing."

For Khashan, Assad's refusal to negotiate with the main opposition National Coalition shows he is pressing to increase his bargaining power.

"His gains on the ground allow him to do this," he said.

Author of the "Struggle for Power in Syria," Van Dam said Assad is unlikely "to make serious concessions as long as his regime is the main dominant force on the ground."

"He wants presidential elections to be held in 2014, but might in the end be willing to accept an alternative candidate, preferably from within the regime," he said.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=62097.

From England, one man feeds Western media on Syria

October 20, 2013

COVENTRY, England (AP) — He's practically a one man band, but Rami Abdurrahman's influence extends far beyond his modest home in this small English city.

The bald, bespectacled 42-year-old operates the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights from his house in the cathedral city of Coventry — and a review of recent media coverage suggests its running tally of killings and clashes is the most frequently cited individual source of information on Syria's civil war for the world's leading news organizations.

"He's just everywhere," said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. "He's the go-to guy for figures. ... I can't think of anybody who comes close."

Abdurrahman, who says he makes his living from a local clothing shop, says the Observatory relies on four unnamed activists in Syria and a wider network of monitors across the country to document and verify clashes and killings. But as the Observatory has increasingly found itself at the center of Western reporting on Syria's civil, some say his figures — and his sources — need more scrutiny.

Opponents say Abdurrahman is in cahoots with the opposition forces bankrolled by Gulf Arab states, skewing casualty figures to keep the spotlight off rebel atrocities. Others contend that Abdurrahman is in league with the Syrian regime. They accuse him of overplaying incidents of sectarian violence to blacken the reputation of those trying to topple President Bashar Assad.

Abdurrahman sees the competing allegations as evidence that's he's being fair; "You know you're doing a good job when all the sides start to attack you," he said in a recent interview. Still, one prominent critic says it boggles the mind that a man living in Coventry is somehow able to count and categorize the dead in Syria hour by hour, every day of the week.

"Something is going on which is quite fishy," said As'ad AbuKhalil, a professor of Middle Eastern politics at California State University Stanislaus. BUSY MAN Abdurrahman was working on four hours' sleep when he met The Associated Press at Coventry's drab-looking train station earlier this month.

He'd planned to get to bed by 10 p.m. the previous night, but rebel infighting in the Syrian border town of Azaz meant he stayed up until 2 a.m. monitoring developments. He got up again at 6 a.m. to check for overnight updates.

"It's not a nine-to-five job," Rami said as he drove across the city, a white dove-shaped air freshener dangling from his rear-view mirror. By his own account, Abdurrahman operates as a kind of human switchboard, fielding calls round-the-clock from Syrian activists, international journalists, and human rights workers. Particularly intense news days had seen up to 500 calls, he said.

Suspicions have long dogged Abdurrahman. Is the self-exiled Syrian really who he says he is? Who's behind his organization? And is he accurate enough to justify the world's reliance on his reporting? Switching from English to Arabic and often speaking through a translator, Abdurrahman — whose real name is Ossama Suleiman — defended his decision to use a pseudonym as part of the Arab tradition of the nom de guerre.

He said he received money from a European human rights group, but declined to name it. Only after prodding did he say he had been receiving less than 100,000 euros ($137,000) a year since 2012 in support of his work.

"We're in a state of war," he said. "It's difficult to be completely transparent." SYRIAN NETWORK Abdurrahman, born in the Syrian city of Banias, says government harassment of his family first sparked his interest in human rights work. He left for Britain in 2000, moving to Coventry, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of London, where the revenue from the clothes shop helps support him, his wife, and their young child.

He launched the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in May of 2006, saying the activists he met while in Syria formed the group's core. Counting the words out with his hand, Abdurrahman said his modus operandi was: "Document, verify, and publish."

That methodology has been put to the test in Syria, where both sides stand accused of peddling misinformation. Abdurrahman said his work was like navigating a "sea of lies." Abdurrahman boasts 230-odd informants on the ground, ranging from Syrian journalists who leak him stories on the sly to employees of military hospitals who fill him in on army casualties. He said he sticks to the journalistic gold standard of only accepting a story once it had been confirmed by a second source.

He claims to have rarely gotten it wrong, saying he could think of only two cases in which he overstated casualty figures. Other mistakes, such as confusing a car bombing with a mortar strike, were more common, but in every case he insisted errors were corrected.

"We're human, we make mistakes," he said. "But it's our intention not to repeat them." A LEADING NEWS SOURCE Abdurrahman's accuracy matters because so many news organizations use his reporting. A review of stories published by three major newswires, including The Associated Press, over the past year show he's cited more often than SANA, Syria's government-run news agency.

Experts attribute the exposure to Abdurrahman's non-stop publication schedule, and the fact that so many observers are barred from Syria and that others are at risk of kidnapping or worse. That means journalists, human rights groups, and even the United Nations — which put out its own death toll at more than 100,000 back in July — have to rely at least in part on his figures.

That level of prominence worries those who harbor doubts about his organization. "Let's assume good faith," said Nadim Shehadi, with London's Chatham House think tank. "Let's assume he's genuine, and qualified, and everything. He relies on too many sources to be able to check."

The problem with checking what's going on in Syria is that few people can gain access to the areas involved, said human rights researcher Cilina Nasser, who has collaborated with Abdurrahman in compiling casualty figures on several mass killings.

Nasser, who works for London-based Amnesty International, described Abdurrahman as careful and "usually accurate." Her opinion was largely seconded by Lama Fakih, a researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"In broad strokes, the reporting is solid," she said. Nasser said it was important to keep in mind that everyone — from Abdurrahman to the journalists charged with following up on his figures — labors under the same handicap.

"There's always something missing," she said, "which is us being on the ground."

Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli hospital

Tuesday, 05 November 2013

A Palestinian prisoner from an Israeli jail died on Tuesday at dawn after spending 20 days in a serious condition at al-Afoula hospital in Israel.

The prisoner was identified as Hassan al-Torabi, 22. He was from Sorra, west of Nablus.

Al-Torabi was admitted to hospital on October 16 2013, after experiencing deteriorating health conditions.

Relatives and human rights organizations pointed out that his health condition had deteriorated after he had been denied proper medical treatment.

He had initially suffered from cancer and an inflation of the spleen, as well as acute internal bleeding of the esophagus.

In a letter previously disclosed by the Palestinians ministry of prisoners' lawyer, al-Torabi said:

"I have been suffering severe headaches and strange mass swelling in the belly. I went to the prison clinic; they gave me only painkiller tablets. They did not help me. Four days later, I started vomiting blood and went to the clinic again. They did nothing."

He then fell unconscious and was admitted to hospital. His parents were allowed to accompany him. He was pronounced dead this morning.

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces invaded several Palestinian cities and neighborhoods in the West Bank.

Palestinian sources said that a number of homes had been inspected and seven Palestinian citizens were arrested. No information about the location of the detainees has been released.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/8144-palestinian-prisoner-dies-in-israeli-hospital.

Hamas adds resistance to Israel in Gazan school's curriculum

2013-11-05

GAZA CITY - The Gaza Strip's Hamas government said on Tuesday it had added studies to encourage "resistance to Israel" to the territory's public schools curriculum.

Courses to "strengthen Palestinian rights, update programs and add studies on human rights" would be introduced at three levels in secondary schools, Education Minister Muetassem al-Minaui said.

They were intended to instill "faith in the role of the resistance to win rights and to raise awareness of the importance of effective preparations to face the enemy," he said.

The new material tells of Israel's winter 2008-2009 and November 2012 military offensives into the Gaza Strip and shows photos of dead Palestinians and of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes.

"All of Palestine from the (Mediterranean) sea to the river (Jordan) belongs to us, to us Muslims," it states, in accordance with the beliefs of the militant Islamic group, which refuses to recognize Israel.

The new courses will be taught only in education ministry schools and not those of the United Nations Relief and Works agency, in which close to half of the 463,000 pupils in the strip study, the agency's operations director Robert Turner told journalists on Tuesday.

At the start of this year, Hamas launched an experimental program of basic military training for about 10,000 high school students.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=62413.

Heavy gunfight in Lebanon's Tripoli over Syria

2013-10-23

TRIPOLI - Two people were killed and 30 others wounded in a three-day gunfight in the Lebanese city of Tripoli between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a security official said Wednesday.

The violence has closed schools and sent families into flight.

"Two people have been killed since Monday night. One of them was a 13-year-old child, the other a 32-year-old man. Thirty other people have been wounded," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The clashes broke out on Monday night as an interview with Assad was being aired on television.

The 13-year-old victim was from Jabal Mohsen, a majority Alawite neighborhood in the northern port city of Tripoli whose residents support Assad.

The man killed was from Bab al-Tebbaneh, whose Sunni inhabitants support the anti-Assad revolt in neighboring Syria.

The violence forced families from both districts to flee their homes for other areas of Lebanon's second city.

Early on Wednesday, "gunmen from the two sides tried storming each other's districts", said the official. "The army fought them off, in a battle that raged at around 3:00 am (0000 GMT)."

All Tripoli's schools stayed closed on Wednesday because of the violence.

Violence has frequently broken out in the two impoverished neighborhoods since the March 2001 start of Syria's uprising.

Lebanon is deeply divided into pro- and anti-Damascus camps.

The division has grown even deeper after Shiite militant group Hezbollah admitted in May it was sending fighters into Syria to support Assad's troops.

Small radical Sunni organizations have also sent men across the border to fight alongside the rebels.

Lebanon was dominated politically and militarily by Damascus for 30 years until 2005.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=62099.

'Dangerous' nuclear plan stirs Jordanians’ fears

2013-11-05

By Kamal Taha - Amman

Jordan's plan to build its first nuclear plant with Russian help has stirred fresh fears and suspicions as experts called for the "dangerous" and "illogical" project to be abandoned.

The government announced late last month that two Russian firms will build and operate a $10-billion (7-billion-euro) nuclear plant, including two 1,000-megawatt reactors.

The plant, to be completed in 2023, will be built in Amra, a desert area north of the capital, the government said.

Energy-poor Jordan says it wants to develop nuclear power to meet its growing needs and to fire desalination plants to overcome its crippling water shortage.

But activists and environmentalists warn that the project is too risky.

"We are very afraid of this project because it's dangerous to the entire country, people, the environment, and economy. We do not see a need for it," Ali Kassay, a member the Jordanian Coalition for Nuclear Free Jordan, said.

"There are cheaper, better and safer alternatives," he said.

"It's illogical to build a nuclear plant in a country known historically for earthquakes, as well as lack of capabilities, funds, human resources and water."

On October 28, the government said Russia's Rusatom Overseas will operate the planned nuclear plant as a strategic partner, while Atomstroyexport will provide the atomic technology.

"Before making such announcements, detailed feasibility studies and consultations with local communities should have been carried out," said environmentalist Rauf Dabbas, who also advises the environment ministry.

"Until this day, this has not been taken into consideration," he said.

"There are no local institutions that have the experience to closely monitor such nuclear activities and plans."

Dabbas said the government "is not serious about enhancing the role of the ministries of health and the environment in this project.

"There are also security concerns. The plant's site is located near main roads linking Jordan to Iraq and Saudi Arabia," he added.

"Jordan's nuclear plans will take at least 10 years to provide us with energy, but we need energy now."

With desert covering 92 percent of its territory, the tiny kingdom has little or no natural resources and is one of the world's 10 driest countries.

The government pins high hopes on atomic technology, which remains deeply sensitive in a region where Israel has an undeclared monopoly on nuclear weapons.

"Nuclear technology will significantly reduce the cost of electricity production," Khaled Tukan, head of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission, told state-run Petra news agency.

The country imports 97 percent of its energy needs, and spends around $2 billion a year to generate power.

"The project, which will provide Jordanians with 10,000 jobs, will be carried out in line with the best measures to ensure the safety of people and the environment," he said.

"Our experts are currently receiving training in several countries across the world."

Amman in August gave the go-ahead to the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute and Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. to build a five-megawatt nuclear research reactor at the northern Jordan University for Sciences and Technology.

"Jordan's nuclear decision is a miscalculation," said Safaa Jayoussi, a Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner.

"We saw what happened in Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant. We cannot allow this to happen in Jordan. Nuclear energy will not provide sustainable energy. Jordan should drop its plans before it's too late."

The Fukushima plant was badly damaged by a tsunami in March 2011 and critics say it remains fragile and at the mercy of extreme weather or other natural hazards.

"Jordan lacks the funds, means and laws to govern and ensure nuclear safety as reckless government policies continue to provoke Jordanians who reject the nuclear plan," local environmental organizations said in a joint statement.

The government says Jordan has a reserve of 35,000 tons of uranium.

"We have a serious energy problem, but the government is not doing what it is needed to convince Jordanians of the nuclear program and its feasibility," prominent MP Khalil Attieh said.

"Jordanians, including MPs, have many concerns and fears, which so far are not being addressed."

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=62398.

Jordan king calls for reform as opposition simmers

November 03, 2013

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan's King Abdullah II promised lawmakers Sunday to speed up reforms slowed by unrest across the Middle East, though the kingdom's weakened opposition accused him of finding excuses to hold onto the monarchy's absolute power.

Abdullah told parliament's opening session that he will press ahead with plans to amend election laws the opposition says favor pro-palace candidates and overhaul a public sector widely seen as rife with corruption and nepotism.

The king called the reforms a "white revolution" — a term royal aides say signifies a peaceful change rather than one of turmoil like those brought by the Arab Spring, which saw four regional leaders deposed in uprisings.

The plan, the king said, will restructure state agencies and improve the quality of education, health care and public transportation in a key U.S. ally bordering Syria, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

"Jordan is continuing its quest to develop a regional reform model that is home-grown and based on a clear roadmap with specific reform milestones," the king said. But the opposition met the king's speech, marking the start of parliament's winter session, with skepticism.

"The king is only buying time," said Mohammad Miteb, 19, an accounting sophomore and part of a pro-democracy youth movement. "We're sitting on a powder keg that will soon ignite from sparks, be it from domestic reasons or regional turbulences."

Jordanians fear a spillover of violence from neighboring Syria, where al-Qaida and other militant groups based and could take advantage of Jordan's growing calls for change to foment violence. Yet Jordan so far has weathered nearly three years of street protests calling for a wider public say in politics. Abdullah is a close friend of the U.S. and the country relies on donations from the U.S. and oil-rich Gulf Arabs to keep its fragile economy afloat. It is saddled by a multi-billion-dollar foreign debt, a record $2 billion budget deficit, high inflation and a rising energy bill.

So far, Abdullah largely has maintained control, partly by relinquishing some of his powers to parliament and amending the country's 60-year-old constitution. His Western-trained security forces have been able to keep protests from getting out of hand. And most in the opposition remain loyal to the king, pressing for reforms but not his removal.

Earlier this year, Abdullah said his reforms will lead to the absolute monarchy taking a step back. He said as parliament takes on more responsibility, future monarchs — maybe within five years — will have limited, though still significant responsibilities, mainly preserving their final word in foreign and defense policy.

Sunday, the king said parliament should rewrite laws governing elections and political parties. Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood boycotted both elections this year to protest the laws. The opposition says they favor conservative tribal candidates who back the palace.

The next steps will be to build real political parties, the king said. He said he would like to see Jordan's 23 small and fractured political parties merge into two liberal and conservative coalitions for the next parliamentary election.

Currently, votes are cast on the basis of tribal affiliation and family connections, producing successive parliaments dominated by pro-government, conservative tribal politicians. Although Jordan's multiparty system was revived in 1991, following a 35-year ban after a 1956 leftist coup attempt, opposition parties have yet to gain real power. They say they are intimidated by tight scrutiny and security crackdowns.

"These (proposals) are merely cosmetic and meaningless changes," said Murad Adaileh, a member of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. "What is needed is a genuine desire for real reforms."

Sahrawis clash with police during 'illegal' Laayoune protest

2013-10-21

RABAT - Bloody clashes erupted between police and pro-independence protesters in Western Sahara, a human rights group said Monday, as the UN envoy wrapped up his latest visit to the disputed territory.

Dozens of civilians required hospital treatment, including women and children, after police moved to break up a "peaceful protest" in the territory's main city Laayoune on Saturday, the Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH) said.

"The police violently dispersed the gathering and surrounded the residential Maatalla district, breaking into people's houses and causing a lot of damage," the independent rights group's Laayoune representative Hamoud Iguilid said.

Local authorities, cited by the official MAP news agency, contradicted the AMDH's version of events, saying five members of the security forces were wounded in "acts of vandalism and violence."

Some 400 people gathered "without permission" and began throwing stones and petrol bombs, according to the authorities, who made no mention of civilian casualties and strongly denied that police had broken into people's houses.

Morocco annexed the former Spanish colony in 1975 in a move never recognized by the international community, while its neighbor Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front.

The clashes took place a day after UN special envoy Christopher Ross arrived in Laayoune on a new bid to push for a peaceful resolution to the decades-old conflict.

Moroccan media accused the protesters of provoking the security forces during Ross’s visit to the North African kingdom to trigger Polisario’s media propaganda.

During his visit, which also took him to the town of Smara in the territory's desert interior, Ross met local Moroccan officials, tribal chiefs and civil society representatives, both for and against independence.

The former US diplomat, who has already visited Rabat and Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria on his latest tour, was expected to leave Laayoune on Monday morning.

He has made no public comments during the tour.

A spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, reported a "massive" police presence in Laayoune at the weekend, but was unable to comment on or confirm clashes between police and protesters.

Morocco has proposed broad autonomy for the territory under its sovereignty, an initiative rejected by the Polisario Front, which has campaigned for independence since 1973 and which fought Moroccan troops for a decade and half until the United Nations negotiated a ceasefire in 1991.

The Polisario, which still controls a small strip of territory in the desert interior, insists on the Sahrawis’ right to determine their own future in a UN-monitored referendum.

Ross's efforts to bring the two sides together for direct talks have faltered amid some acrimony, with the Moroccan government briefly demanding last year that UN chief Ban Ki-moon replace the envoy.

Earlier this year, aggressive international lobbying by Rabat successfully shot down an unprecedented US proposal to task the peacekeepers with human rights monitoring.

Instead, a UN Security Council resolution extending the force's mandate simply stressed the "importance of improving the human rights situation" in Western Sahara and the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria.

In the weeks after the Security Council vote, scores of pro-independence protesters were wounded in clashes with Moroccan security forces in Laayoune and other towns.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=62071.

Madrid trash collectors protest against layoffs

November 04, 2013

MADRID (AP) — Trash collectors in Madrid have started bonfires and set off firecrackers during a noisy protest in one of the Spanish capital's main squares as they prepare to start an open-ended strike.

Hundreds of street cleaners and garbage collectors who work in the city's public parks converged on the Puerta del Sol plaza late Monday. They were due to walk off the job at midnight in a strike called by trade unions to contest the planned layoff of more than 1,000 workers.

Madrid's municipal cleaning companies, which have service supply contracts with the city authorities, employ some 6,000 staff. The labor groups want the city council to intervene and halt the job cuts.

Japan, Russia agree to expand defense ties

November 02, 2013

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and Russia held their first high-level defense and diplomatic talks Saturday and agreed to step up cooperation between their militaries amid regional security concerns such as North Korea and China.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, and their Russian counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu also agreed to hold joint military and anti-piracy exercises and establish a defense consultation framework.

Lavrov told a news conference after Saturday's talks that upgrading defense ties between the two countries could serve their national interests in resolving terrorism and North Korea's nuclear threats, as well as other regional disputes. He also welcomed the talks as a landmark development for Russia and Japan.

"I believe this event today indicates a new stage in the relationship between Russia and Japan," Lavrov said at the outset of the meeting. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the cooperation between Japan and Russia will "promote trustful relationships in the Asia-Pacific region."

Earlier Friday, Japan and Russia agreed to continue discussing a territorial dispute that has kept the nations from signing a peace treaty. "We need to act constructively. We should not be emotional, and avoid provocative remarks," Lavrov said in Friday's news conference.

The diplomats also agreed to hold vice-ministerial talks in late January or February, ahead of Kishida's planned visit to Russia in the spring. Lavrov did not mention an attack on Russian missiles in Latakia in Syria. Kishida said he and Lavrov planned to discuss Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and other international issues at Friday's working dinner, which was closed to the media.

Japan is seeking to broaden its defense ties, in addition to its key security alliance with the United States, in response to China's growing military presence and threats from North Korea. Russia has been expanding its trade ties in Asia and President Vladimir Putin has actively sought closer relations with Japan, partly as a counter to China's rising military power.

It's unclear how much progress is being made toward a resolution of a dispute over four islands that were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. The dispute has kept the two nations from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities.

Japan and Russia have also stepped up cooperation in developing energy resources, especially liquefied natural gas. Kishida said trade between the two countries totaled a record $33 billion last year, and that further growth is expected this year.

Associated Press writer Emily Wang contributed to this report.

Thousands of ethnic Hungarians call for autonomy

October 27, 2013

TARGU SECUIESC, Romania (AP) — Thousands of ethnic Hungarians held rallies on Sunday to demand autonomy for their minority group in the areas where they live in Romania.

The marches — with people singing, waving Hungarian flags, and riding horses and carriages — were held Sunday in 14 communities of Transylvania, including the town of Targu Secuiesc. In Budapest, Hungary, thousands marched to the Romanian Embassy carrying a sign reading "Territorial autonomy for Szeklerland" referring to the stretches of Romania where ethnic Hungarians are concentrated. Others chanted, "Szeklerland is not Romania."

There were also rallies held in the Hungarian cities of Debrecen and Szolnok. The Civic Cooperation Forum, which organized the demonstrations, said it would send a petition to the European Union and the Romanian government to call for the cause of Szekler autonomy to be taken into consideration.

Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until after World War I, when the ethnic Romanian majority in Transylvania created Romania. Today, ethnic Hungarians make up about 6 percent of Romania's population of 19 million. Community leader Kelemen Hunor told The Associated Press on Sunday that they want territorial autonomy to maintain their ethnic identity and grow economically.

Romanian politicians have opposed granting the minority that privilege.

Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary, and Alison Mutler in Bucharest, Romania, contributed to this report.

Talks begin aimed at forming new Luxembourg govt

October 22, 2013

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — Three political parties have opened talks aimed at forming the first coalition government in Luxembourg in four decades that would not include the Christian Democrats.

In Sunday's election the LSAP, DP and Greens parties won a total of 32 seats, enough to form a majority coalition in the country's 60-seat, unicameral Parliament. LSAP President Alex Bodry said Tuesday "that all three parties have decided to start negotiations to form a coalition" that would exclude the Christian Democrats of Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker.

Juncker, whose party won 23 seats in the election, is the longest-serving government leader in the 28-nation European Union, having been the prime minister of Luxembourg since 1995. But his coalition with the LSAP collapsed this summer.

Luxembourg prime minister's party wins most votes

October 20, 2013

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — The Christian Democrat party of long-serving Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker easily remained the biggest party and the first choice to form a new coalition government following Sunday's elections.

With near complete results, Juncker's CSV will drop almost 4.5 points from the 38 percent of the 2009 elections, but remains well ahead of both Socialist coalition partner LSAP, which hovered just over 20 percent and the opposition Liberal DP, which made a big move up to 18.5 percent.

Juncker, who is the longest-serving government leader in the 28-nation European Union with a reign going back to 1995, could both form a center-left or center-right government, or face a grand coalition against him of Liberals-Socialist-Greens.

"I am satisfied with the results as far as my party remains the No. 1 party in Luxembourg, with a huge distance between my party and the two other main political parties," Juncker said. "We should be entitled to form the next government."

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which borders France and Germany, has about 515,000 inhabitants. It's a founding member of the European Union and a major financial center, giving it clout well beyond the size of its population. Juncker was head of the eurogroup of nations that share the EU's common currency between 2005 and early this year.

Often a picture of sedate bourgeois conservatism, Luxembourg was shocked into snap elections this summer after Juncker failed to contain a spying scandal centering on allegations of eavesdropping and wiretapping on politicians and the keeping of files on ordinary citizens and leading figures dating back to the Cold War.

There also were allegations that state money was used to pay for cars and apartments being used by the small country's security service. Juncker was not implicated, but his coalition partner, the Socialists, told him to take political responsibility and he called the early election.

The scandal punished Juncker's party but it could have been worse. The CSV was expected to drop from 26 to 23 seats in the 60-seat legislature. Projections show both the LSAP and DP with 13 seats and the Greens with six.

"As a party we don't have a preference as far as the coalition partners are concerned. We do not have exclusive views on that," Juncker said.

Kosovo: Elections to test EU-brokered Serbia deal

November 03, 2013

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — People in Kosovo are voting in a local election that will test the country's fragile relations with Serbia as both countries seek to move closer to the European Union.

Serbia has called on Kosovo's Serb minority to participate in the vote organized by Pristina's ethnic Albanian dominated authorities. It is the first time voters will choose local councilors since Kosovo seceded from Serbia in 2008.

Some Kosovo Serbs fear that by taking part they would validate Kosovo's secession. Some ethnic Albanians believe the vote paves the way for ethnic partition by carving out a territory that would be ruled by minority Serbs.

Serb participation in Kosovo's political life is one of the key elements of an EU-brokered deal that seeks to settle the dispute over Kosovo and unlock EU funds.

Greek Parliament to vote on far right funding

October 22, 2013

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek lawmakers are to vote late Tuesday on a proposal to suspend state funding for political parties accused of criminal activities, a measure targeting the Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn group.

The legislation was backed by the conservative-led governing coalition, the main opposition and a small leftwing party — representing 241 of Parliament's 300 seats. It allows an indefinite funding freeze for parties whose leadership is charged with involvement in a criminal group, or terrorism.

Golden Dawn is under a criminal investigation sparked by last month's fatal stabbing of a Greek rap singer, an attack blamed on a party volunteer. Its leader and two lawmakers have been jailed in pre-trial custody as alleged members of a criminal organization, and another six lawmakers have been stripped of immunity from prosecution to face similar charges.

None of the party leadership has been charged with any direct connection to the killing. Thorbjoern Jagland, the head of the Council of Europe, the continent's top human rights agency, praised the crackdown, but said care must be taken to ensure fair trials.

"I would like to commend the Greek government for having taken action immediately, and very strong action. I think it's very important to differentiate between political work and criminal acts," Jagland told The Associated Press in an interview at the start of a two-day visit to Athens to discuss combating extremism and hate speech.

Golden Dawn says the prosecution of its members is politically motivated. The fatal stabbing last month led to increasing calls for the party to be banned outright. But Jagland cautioned that could backfire, with similar cases elsewhere in Europe leading to parties re-emerging under different names, or going underground where they are harder to monitor and regulate.

"What is very important is to go after people that are doing crimes, and not mixing up that with politics," said Jagland, who also heads the committee which awards the Nobel Peace Prize. He didn't comment directly on the party funding bill, saying this was "up to the Greek government," but noted that such a move would not contravene European human rights laws.

"It is actually in most European countries unlawful to do hate speech, incitement to violence, open racism and also denial of the Holocaust," he said. During a meeting with Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias, the Council of Europe head also offered the support of the organization's legal experts in seeking ways to deal with the Golden Dawn issue.

Jagland was also to meet Wednesday with Greece's prime minister and the ministers for justice and foreign affairs. Formerly a fringe party, Golden Dawn's popularity soared in recent years as the country sank into a financial depression and unemployment spiraled. Running on an anti-immigrant campaign, it won 18 seats in Parliament and nearly 7 percent of the vote in 2012 elections.

Party members and supporters have long been blamed for violent attacks, mostly against dark-skinned immigrants but also against left-wing political opponents and gays. Golden Dawn denies any involvement.

Associated Press writer Nicholas Paphitis in Athens, Greece, contributed.